


Tea and Polyamory in a Small Town

by DaddyLuke



Series: A Return to Haven: Series [6]
Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:28:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24859933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaddyLuke/pseuds/DaddyLuke
Summary: Gloria just can’t, with Janet the nosey, narrow-minded bakery-cafe owner. She’s always trying to spill tea, but she does make great cookies. In this case, however, Janet discovers more than she bargained for. As the scene closes, we find that even in a post-Troubles Haven, there is crime drama.
Relationships: Audrey Parker/Nathan Wuornos, Duke Crocker/Audrey Parker, Duke Crocker/Audrey Parker/Nathan Wuornos, Duke Crocker/Nathan Wuornos
Series: A Return to Haven: Series [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1796647
Kudos: 3





	Tea and Polyamory in a Small Town

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Five Times People Were Utterly Oblivious to Their Relationship and One Time It Was Too Obvious to Ignore](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2613593) by [lovesrogue36](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovesrogue36/pseuds/lovesrogue36), [Rabbitt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rabbitt/pseuds/Rabbitt). 



> This is a rewrite of the fanfic, Five Times People Were Utterly Oblivious to Their Relationship and One Time It Was Too Obvious to Ignore, by lovesrogue36 and Rabbitt, crafted to fit the AU of my Return to Haven series.

“I’m going to tell him,” Janet tells Gloria, in worried tones. “The poor man needs to know. That Audrey always seemed like such a nice woman to me...”

“Never mind the inconvenient bigotries,” Gloria mumbles into her tea, not even bothering to refrain from rolling her eyes.

Janet glares at her as she arranges cookies from her bakery on a glass plate on Nathan’s desk. “But she’s going to break his heart, and I just can’t stand by and let him be blindsided. I’ve known Nathan Wuornos a long time” she continues, as if Gloria hadn’t spoken.

“Nathan Parker,” Gloria corrects her. 

“I just don’t even understand that one,” Janet says. “After everything. Taking her last name when they got married. It’s like they just want to flout tradition.”

“Nothing traditional about them,” Gloria chirps. Sometimes, Gloria wonders if Janet actually believes some of the stuff that pops out of her mouth, or if she’s just a master of denial. As well as of baking, that is, because these cookies are *delicious.*

Janet slaps Gloria’s hand as she reaches for another cookie, and Gloria heaves a long-suffering sigh. “Well, of course she’s going to break his heart. He’s a total sap. Getting his heart broken is what he does.”

“That is *not* what I mean!” Janet purses her lips and glances around as if they aren’t the only ones here this early. “I saw Audrey a couple of days ago, with Duke Crocker. You know he’s come back after all these years. They say he was in the Armory and it’s all supernatural. But he was gone a long time!”

“Seven damned long years,” Gloria says. “So he’s back. Look, we thought he had died to save this town. Audrey’s overjoyed. So am I.” 

“Listen,” Janet says conspiratorially, “Audrey and Duke were parked down the alley by Haven Joe’s in the truck and...,”

Janet looks for a moment as if she’s going to explode, her cheeks pink and her hair standing even more on end than usual. 

Leaning in, Gloria stage-whispers, “And what?” Even though she’s pretty sure she knows exactly what.

“And they were *kissing*!!! Poor, *poor* Nathan.” Janet presses a hand over her mouth, shaking her head. Apparently it’s just such a shame.

“Oh, yeah, right, poor Nathan.” Gloria gulps at her tea. 

“Aren’t you the least bit shocked?,” Janet demands, fussing over the cookies again. “I thought Nathan and Audrey were really happy. Anyway, I just can’t stand to see her break his heart without him at least having some idea it’s going on.”

“Sure, sure. What kind of nosey-ass baker would you be?,” Gloria quips, as she snatches an extra cookie and stuffs it in her purse. Before Janet can protest, the ‘poor dear’ makes his appearance, looking a little ragged around the edges, but with a cocky grin that probably means he got laid last night. 

“Well! You just let me know how all this goes!,” Gloria chirps to Janet. She brushes out past Nathan in the doorway, who still looks a little baffled and well-screwed, and makes a halfhearted attempt to hide her cackling laughter in her tea.

Nathan stands still, hands stuffed in his pockets as he eyes the tea and cookies on his otherwise tidy desk. “Hi Janet. What’s… going on?”

“Oh, good morning, Chief. Come, come, sit down!”

Nathan hesitates, sniffing slightly, but shuffles over to his desk chair. “What’s all this?,” he asks. 

“Well.” Janet takes a deep breath, as if she’s about to give him the worst news of his life, (which he really hopes she isn’t, because that would have to be pretty horrific news.) “Here, why don’t you have a cookie first? And some tea.”

Nathan dutifully munches on his cookie, stopping to appreciate the taste, and knowing better than to try to get Janet to talk before she’s good and ready. “You look awfully tired, Chief. Didn’t you get any sleep?”

He can’t see himself blush, but the heat rises in his face as he scratches at his forehead. “Uh, not really, no. Duke and Audrey kind of kept me up most of the night,” Nathan confesses. 

Janet’s eyes get a little misty at that, like just-saw-a-puppy-get-kicked misty, and she reaches out to pat his hand. “Oh, Nathan. I.....I really don’t know how to say this. Gloria thinks I should just mind my own business but…”

Nathan sips carefully at his tea, “It’s all right. You can tell me.” Whatever it is, he thinks, it can’t be as bad as she’s making it out to be.

“I know how much you care about Mrs. Parker and.... well, I know you’ve been really happy that your friend Duke Crocker has come back, too. But..... oh, Nathan. I saw them together, a few days ago.” She presses her lips together, oh-so-sympathetically. “And I just thought you should hear it from me, before it gets all over town.”

Nathan pauses with his cup halfway to his mouth. “Saw them… together? What do you mean?”

“*Together*,” she says, as if that clarifies everything. 

Nathan must still look mystified, because she lowers her voice and elaborates: “*Kissing.*”

Nathan chokes on the cookie, coughing and grinning as she slaps him on the back. “Oh Chief, I’m so sorry you had to hear this! I just couldn’t stand to see her break your heart, and just blindside you!”

“No, no, Janet, I....,” Nathan shakes his head, trying to wash down the cookie crumbs. “Thank you for being so concerned, but…” He winces, squinting up at her. “Um, I *know*.”

“You know what, dear?”

“About Duke and Audrey. *Kissing*,” Nathan imitates her emphasis on the word, leaning in and lowering his voice. For once in her life, the woman seems to be at a loss for words. He almost feels bad for stumping her so hard.

“It’s...um.....it’s okay,” he rushes to explain. “We’re.........we’re *together.* All three of us. Together.”

Explaining to a town full of busybodies that you’re in a polyamorous relationship? Not easy. Explaining it to a woman who’s got more than her share of issues she’s already struggling to open her mind about? Nathan finds that’s next to impossible.

“Oh. My,” Janet says, slowly. “See, I told Gloria that you and Audrey were just trying to flout tradition. First with taking her name...”

“Janet, after everything we have all been through here, and after what your daughter and her girlfriend went through, I would have thought you’d understand how important Audrey and Duke and I are to each other, and how important that name is.”

“I just can’t wrap my head around stuff like this, Nathan. What next? Duke Crocker becomes Duke Parker and starts to help you raise James?!,” Janet barks, rhetorically.

Nathan looks right at her face. “If he’ll have us,” he says. 

Janet is dumbfounded for a moment. Then she says, “Gloria was right; I should have just minded my own business.”

Nathan’s desk phone rings and he presses the intercom button. “Hey, Nathan, it’s Dwight,” the voice comes barreling out of the phone. “Is Duke a Parker yet?”

“I was just talking about that with my morning visitor, Janet,” Nathan says to the phone. “I’m going to have to call you back in a while, buddy.”

“You got it, Chief,” Dwight says, and Nathan presses the intercom off. 

“I appreciate your concern for me, Janet,” Nathan says to her.

“But I wonder,” Janet pries. “Does this mean you and Duke are....you know....I mean.....with each other?”

Nathan drops his forehead into the palm of his hand. “I guess you didn’t know that Duke and I dated in high school,” Nathan grumbles. 

“Now how would I know a thing like that?!,” Janet asks. 

“You seem to know everything else,” Nathan answers. 

Janet let’s out a “humph.”

“Audrey and Duke and I are really happy,” Nathan says. “It took a long time to get here.”

The door bangs open and Gloria marches back into the office. “Nathan! Up and at ‘em, you’ve got a body. Floatin’ one. Better bring backup.”

Either she has impeccable timing or she was eavesdropping, but whatever her secret, Nathan finds himself outrageously thankful for her intrusion. 

“Sorry, Janet, gotta run. But...thank you.” He pauses to shake her hand. He wishes he could explain better, make her understand that he is happy, that he loves two people more than he’s ever loved one but, instead he just says, “The cookies are delicious.”

Nathan pastes-on a slightly awkward smile, and grabs an extra couple cookies as he marches out after Gloria. 

For now, he’ll just be grateful for well-timed interruptions, and eavesdropping Medical Examiners.


End file.
